Finding the right story for a sensitive subject
How do you promote divorce services without appearing to promote divorce? Stephens Scown wanted a video campaign that could reach potential clients while approaching a difficult subject with sensitivity, reassurance and optimism.
Campaign Views
Guide Downloads
%
Site Traffic Increase
%
Revenue Increase
The challenge
Stephens Scown approached me to develop a series of films promoting its divorce services through a New Year digital campaign.
It was a particularly sensitive brief. Using previous clients for testimonials wasn’t appropriate, and we didn’t want to create advertising that glamorised divorce or focused heavily on its negative aspects.
The firm also wanted to position itself clearly. Its role wasn’t counselling people through their relationships, but providing the legal expertise, reassurance and stability needed to help them through the process.
And all of that needed to work in a short piece of content designed primarily for social media
Finding the creative idea
Working with the Stephens Scown team, we developed a concept based around three short films, each approximately 45 seconds long.
Rather than talking directly about divorce, each film followed a character struggling with a simple physical problem, such as a tangled kite or broken bicycle chain.
The problem becomes a metaphor for a more difficult period in someone’s life. As the film progresses, the character overcomes the immediate challenge and other people enter their world.
It allowed us to acknowledge that divorce can be difficult and isolating while ultimately leaving the viewer with something much more positive: the possibility of moving forward.
Three films. Three audiences.
Each of the three characters represented a different audience that Stephens Scown wanted to reach, allowing the marketing team to match individual films with different targeting strategies.
We also filmed in three distinctive locations around the South West. As well as giving the campaign a strong visual identity, this connected the films with a region that is an important part of the Stephens Scown brand.
Designed for digital
The films weren’t simply made and handed over. They were designed around how the wider campaign would work.
Text became an important part of the storytelling, providing an internal dialogue for the characters and allowing each film to communicate its message even when watched without sound.
The films then acted as top-of-funnel content across targeted social advertising, directing potential clients towards a downloadable divorce guide on the Stephens Scown website.
The results
The campaign ran across January and February using targeted Facebook advertising, YouTube pre-roll and Twitter advertising.
During the campaign:
- The films received more than 250,000 views
- The divorce guide was downloaded 150 times
- Website traffic doubled
- Revenue doubled compared with the same period the previous year